Howdy, Hope you folks enjoyed exploring Echo Cave. Would have gone with you; but the cave's five foot entrance might have conflicted with my claustrophobee:-). Now let's rejoin Mrs. Mary C. FISH on the Northern Trail in 1860 as she reaches Salt Lake City: SALT LAKE CITY "Tuesday July 31[1860]. We traveled 11 miles & arrived in SALT LAKE CITY about noon. Before descending into the Valley the lake appeared higher than the city & with its blue tint made quite an addition to the landscape. This lake is 90 miles long & 30 wide and although it receives the water of Bear River, the river ... the constant evaporation of the lake renders an outlet of its waters unnecessary. The shores of the lake are covered with salt which is used by the inhabitants just as they take it from the banks of the lake. This is a beautfiful valley & is very well improved although the land has to be irrigated.They raise all kinds of green vegetables, &c. "The City is laid out with considerable taste the streets all being wide & crossing each other in straight lines. These houses are built of adobes or unburned brick & the water privileges are such that there is a stream of water running by every door[:-)]. There are several beautiful dwellings here first of which is the residence of Brigham YOUNG... "We camped in the city & as soon as our tents were pitched our camp was visited by numerous mormon women who brought all kinds of vegetables to sell & also, butter, eggs, cheese &c. They were all well behaved and very cleanly dressed. This valley is surrounded. by mountains which in a smoky atmosphere resemble clouds. We received news to day of the great TORONADO[??] which has passed over a portion of IOWA." HUMBOLDT "Friday August 17th. We traveled 22 miles to day & camped six miles from HUMBOLDY SPRINGS. I saw the grave of a man who belonged to a train which was destroyed by the Mormons & Indians July 27, 1851[1859?]. This man was wounded in the attack but escaped & crawled five miles from the place where the train were attacked & was picked up by another train & died the fifth of August 1859[1851?].... "Saturday August 18th. We traveled 14 miles to day & camped on Canon Creek at the mouth of Humboldt Canon which canon we came through this afternoon & this canon caps the climax for rocky road as in many places the rocks were so close together that there was barely room for a wagon to pass between them & then the rocks were so high in the middle of the road that the bottom of the wagon would come in contact with them. There are several boiling springs in this canon which boil up from the solid rock & are so hot that an egg could be cooked in them..." "Monday August 20th. We traveled a part of to day ..& camped on HUMBOLDT River. This river is about the width of a good sized creek & the scenery & productions are as follows: Tall brush & course grass along the river while in the back ground naked mountains with out the sign of a tree ... "Wednesday August 22nd. We have traveled... & nothing to be seen but the filthy looking sluggish river & still more filthy looking Indians. There are several now partaking of their evening meal which consists of small fish or minows boiled entrails & all into a perfect jelly & they swallow this mess with infinite relish[:-(]. "Friday September 1st. We ...camped at Lassen's Meadows where... Emigrants cut hay to feed their stock while crossing the Desert....The company will divide at this place, a part of them going by the way of CARSON VALLEY & they will continue down this Humboldt River to the sink by which they have to cross the great American Desert which is 55 miles across.. Two thirds of the company will go by way of Honey Lake Valley & we shall go by the LAST named route is said to the the best. HONEY LAKE VALLEY to RED BLUFF "Sunday September 9th. We traveled 18 miles over an awful rough road it being perfectly macadamized with rocks only the rocks were about a foot high[:-)] We camped in HONEY LAKE VALLEY on Susan River which is about as large as a small creek. The Indians have been troublesome here last Spring they murdered several of the inhabitants & committed numerous depredations. ...This is a beautiful valley the land being level and fertile but the soil has to be irrigated to raise vegetables. The farmers here have large herds of cattle which are at present very fat. "Monday September 10th. We traveled 20 miles to day having continued up the valley & camped within two miles of SUSANVILLE. The Sierra Nevada Mountains bound this valley on the west & SHASTA Peak has been visible for the preceding four days.... "Wednesday September 12th. The company remained in camp for the two preceding days preparatory to crossing the mountains.[Freedonyer ?].. Susanville is rather a small place there being but few houses & those appear to have been recently built. The mountains are close to the town & we commenced the ascent directly on leaving the city & the rise is quite gradual but the road is somewhat raocky... The greater portion of the company took the road to MARYSVILLE while the remaining portion & OURSELVES included have taken the RED BLUFF ROAD. "Thursday September 13th. We...camped on Tins Creek. There is plenty of water & grass in places & timber in inexhaustible quantities consisting of pines, spruce, cedar &c. The timber here grows to an amazing size there being timber enough in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to supply the continent of America[:-)] There is also plenty of game in the mountains consisting of Grizzly Bears, Mountain Sheep, Deer, Foxes, etc. " Friday September 14th..... We.....camped on Butte Creek. Last night it was cold enough to freeze the creek over & it has been cold all day. There has been snow capped mountains in sight for the last week. This evening Shasta Peak, Mt. Lassen &c are in plain view & they resemble large banks of snow. "Saturday September 15..... We crossed Hat Creek this morning it is a rapid mountain stream.. Hat Creek Mountain is the hardest and rockiest place that we have passed yet & the ground at the foot ot the hill is called Hells Half Acre, but it is nearer 200 acres. I saw the largest loose rocks here that I ever saw." "Monday September 17th. We traveled... over a dry barren country & have at last entered the Sacramento Valley. Everything is at present as dry as tinder & there is no grass to be had. There is a flowing mill not far from where we are camped & many good dwelling houses but the soil looks poor being full of gravel. We camped near a house at which the company procured hay for the stock. "Tuesday September 18th. We...left our last nights encampment...having crossed the Sacramento River...& have camped at RED BLUFFS[Bluff] the principal town of Tehama Co. This is a small place although business appears rather brisk as this is as far as the Sacramento River is navigable for steamboats. This town is built on the west bank of the Sacramento River & receives its name from a bank of reddish early nearly 40 feet hight above the steamboat landing. Shasta Peak rises in its snowy mantle to the north of the town whle Mt. Lassen in the east rises it snow capped peak nearly to the skies." NOTE: Folks, if I missed your favorite Northern Trail spot, I'm sorry. Maybe I'll catch it in our next Northern Trail trip. But this diary, with NO annotations and written in 1860, covers a new trail for me after Salt Lake - had my difficulties in trail identification:-) AND I again thank BARBARA<[email protected]>, a relative of Mrs. Mary C FISH, for sending me this unpublished diary, which was copied on "19June 1955 -[Col.] R. Dana FISH." - another Mary C. Fish relative ONE fun thing before I close: In going over my copy of the diary, I noted that on August 13th, Mary Fish wrote, "We passed the City of BLACKS[???] this morning." Then I read on,. "This place to be seen in moonlight would make a very good representative of a city built by human hands as the spires & steeples of churches are very curiously represented. Geatto lines in regard to Melrose Abbey would be quite applicable to this place" Don't you suppose Col. Fish misread his ancestor's handwriting? Instead of Blacks, she was writing about the "City of ROCKS" with its Cathedral Rocks.:-))))) I really enjoyed reading Mary C's diary:-)) Bob Norris in Dallas <BNorris166aol.com>